Sale Question

[Christie]

Hope this isn't a ridiculous question

 

RC's website says they're open 24 hrs a day to book cruises. If you have a room booked but want to take advantage of a new sale, when can you call? Midnight eastern time of the day the new sale starts?

 

Also, if a TA has your reservation, can you still call to upgrade your room?

[jticarruthers]

Not sure on the time but on the TA question no, if a TA has your room the TA has to call in to make any changes to the room,

 

You can book excursions, drink packages,etc. but any change to the room itself will get referred to the TA.

[WAAAYTOOO]

As to the TA question.....I have called and changed my room before even though I had a TA, so the answer to that question is NOT an absolute NO.

 

They definitely prefer that you let the TA do all of the calling,  TAs do not go through the public CS line but they CAN accommodate you if you get the right CS agent and they are willing to help.

 

I once wanted to snag a rare suite that had suddenly opened up and it was a Sunday (I think...definitely the weekend).  I was afraid that the room wouldn't be available if I waited until Monday so I called and they went ahead and changed my room for me.  So, it can be done...although they prefer that you let your TA do the changing for you.

[Matt]

From what I understand, you can book 24/7 on the site, but I thought the call center has set hours (I think they close at 10pm eastern, or something like that).

 

And Raye is correct, if you book through a TA, only they can upgrade (because they are essentially cancelling and re-booking).

[firegal2539]

Raye,

 

You have better luck than I do. I have called on several reservations and as soon as CS finds out it is through a TA they will barely talk to me. My TA, Teri, has to call for me. I had the same thing happen that you did, there was a certain cabin I wanted that opened up and I knew that Teri wouldn't even listen to phone messages until Monday at 10 a.m. I called CS and they told me to reserve the cabin and put a deposit and then the TA could take it over. I told the rep. she was crazy because it would cause a huge amount of paperwork to cancel the cruise I already had booked and take over the new cruise I had just booked. I always have $400 for a deposit just laying around to do this. What I did, it was a Sunday, and it was when you could hold the reservation for 24 hours, so I held it and got in touch with Teri the next morning. We did a conference call, Teri, me and RCCL, they cancelled the hold and moved my cruise to the new room, but it was still a mess. Now you can't even hold a reservation for 24 hours. That is the only problem I have with a TA, Teri's dad was very sick and she took a week off. She transferred her bookings to her agency but they didn't have the slightest idea about any of my bookings when I called them.

 

Candie

[WAAAYTOOO]

Wow...sorry to hear about all that confusion.  Maybe it was b/c I called Club Royale instead of the regular CS number but they took care of me without any problem.  Maybe I just got very lucky !

[Christie]

I'm too much of a planner for this.  I think in the future I'll transfer over to a TA like a week before sail date :-) 

[Matt]

I'm too much of a planner for this.  I think in the future I'll transfer over to a TA like a week before sail date :-) 

You only have about 60 days from when the booking is made to transfer to a TA.

 

Honestly, the ability to make changes to your reservation on your own is far outweighed by the service a good TA provides.  I love texting my TA to re-price something or change someone's name and then not spending time on hold with RC and doing something way more fun.

[monorailmedic]

You only have about 60 days from when the booking is made to transfer to a TA.

 

Honestly, the ability to make changes to your reservation on your own is far outweighed by the service a good TA provides.  I love texting my TA to re-price something or change someone's name and then not spending time on hold with RC and doing something way more fun.

 

I'm 100% with Matt on this one.  

[WAAAYTOOO]

There are certainly benefits both ways.  For those of us who are obsessive controllers, the freedom to make those critical momentary changes is pretty important.  Then you have a situation like Empress-Gate, which was NOTHING but a nightmare and headache and I am so grateful that I had Michelle to handle that mess !

 

Because I get such a big room discount through Club Royale, I will always make my initial booking directly with CR and then hand it over to Michelle once I have it booked.  It is rare that I make any changes thereafter, as the BOGHO, 30% discounts and all the other flighty promos never apply to me.  It's really ONLY when I need to change rooms that I ever need to make a change...and the one time that I needed to do that quickly, they handled it for me without any problem, directly.  For the MOST part, I have very few changes.

 

Besides, Empress-Gate, Michelle did get me a very NICE package (at no additional cost !) on my Feb. 18 booking on Celebrity Reflection.  That is a SWEEET deal with ultimate beverage package, gratuities, internet and $300 OBC with absolutely NO cost increase at all !  So....is a TA a good thing ?  Yep....almost always.

[Christie]

That is a sweet deal!

 

Good to know about having 60 days to hand it off.

[Christie]

 

Because I get such a big room discount through Club Royale, I will always make my initial booking directly with CR and then hand it over to Michelle once I have it booked.

There needs to be a similar club for people who spend all their $$ on specialty dining. Club Foodie or something

[Christie]

So I do have proof today that they do adjust the base fare to keep the actual cost pretty consistent during sales.

[fonemanbob]

You do.  One thing a lot of people are not aware of is that you constantly need to check on the price of your cruise as it changes almost daily just like the airlines.  If you find a lower fare contact RC to get your price lowered.  This can be done until you make final payment .  It is a hassle but you would be amazed at how much you will save.  Those BOGO sales and such are based on inflated prices and in the mouse print is the suggested price.  

[DunkelBierJay]

So I do have proof today that they do adjust the base fare to keep the actual cost pretty consistent during sales.

This is true...I am tracking fares on a future cruise on a Voyager class ship, and here you go...as you can see, the likelihood of the fare even getting close to where I have it booked is pretty much nil. This speaks to the earlier you book, the more you save.

 

Rate Tracking -- Booked at $749.00

 

6/10/2016 -- Promenade stateroom is $907.00 per person

6/14/2016 -- Promenade stateroom is $907.00 per person

6/22/2016 -- Promenade stateroom is $1,085.50 per person

6/24/2016 -- Promenade stateroom is $858.00 per person 

6/28/2016 -- Promenade stateroom is $1,094.00 per person (VOOM 30% off at $9.09 per day)

7/06/2016 -- Promenade stateroom is $858.00 per person 

7/07/2016 -- Promenade stateroom is $936 per person with new 50% off second guest promo

7/08/2016 -- Promenade Stateroom is $1,200 per person

7/11/2016 -- Promenade Stateroom is $1,200 per person

7/18/2016 -- Promenade Stateroom is $1,225.00 per person

7/21/2016 -- Promenade Stateroom is $936.00 per person

7/25/2016 -- Promenade Stateroom is $936.00 per person

8/01/2016 -- Promenade Stateroom is $1,225 per person

[GrandPa]

Prices went down today.  New sale 30% off.

[Matt]

So I do have proof today that they do adjust the base fare to keep the actual cost pretty consistent during sales.

I respectfully disagree.  One cruise I booked on Anthem last week is now down $300 because of the 30% off deal.

 

Remember, prices of cruises are not like the price of jeans.  Cruise fare prices change all the time in accordance with how booked up (or unbooked up) a ship is.  Like airfare, cruise fares rise and fall based on what is booked.  

 

When you see a "balcony" price, it may refer to that day one category (let's say D6) and then another day when it goes up, it may be a D3.  Or RC sees bookings on the rise and increases prices because there is less supply available.

 

Also, no one sales promotion is ever a slam-dunk deal for everyone. The 30% off offer that came out today tends to favor those with 3rd and 4th passengers in the same room as you.  BOGO 50% deals tend to favor those with 1-2 people in the room.

 

I have 4 cruises booked, but the only one that saw a benefit from the 30% off deal was my Anthem because we are in the same room as our kids. A Thanksgiving cruise I've been watching went down by a couple hundred dollars for 4 in one room as well.  

[JohnK6404]

If you book through the RC website, you can call them directly (I don't remember the exact office hours, but they have long hours) and they will make the adjustments immediately if you are keeping the same cabin.  I've made these calls at least 5 or 6 times over the last couple of years to adjust the rate ($200 here, $300 there!) when a new promo would save money.  I've never spent more than 10 minutes on the phone and you immediately receive the updated reservation docs in PDF format via e-mail.  The CS reps are very friendly.  I've been told on the forum and by the CS reps that these adjustments can be made up until the final payment is made.

 

They will of course run the numbers for you, but I usually go into the website and pretend I'm making a new reservation to see if the new deal is any better before calling to request an adjustment.  As you know, it's not good enough to know what % savings is offered with the promo since the underlying base price generally escalates the closer you get to departure date as the number of available cabins decrease.  So say, as an example, you booked a deal with a 20% discount a year ago and now the deal is 30% off... the odds are you still have a better deal since the underlying cost of the cabin is much higher now.  Onboard credit and other promos like free wifi also muddy the waters!  

 

If you are looking to change cabins and/or categories, then I would assume they will have to cancel your existing reservation to create the new reservation.

 

 

PS - I priced my cabin today under the current promo and it's $335 more than what we're currently paying... we booked (double-occupancy) an Ocean View stateroom with large balcony (Deck 11) back in mid-April on Allure (4/30/17 departure) for price comparison/perspective... always worth checking just in case! :)

[Christie]

I must have been really tired when I did my math the other day, because now it's adding up that they didn't change the base fares.  I haven't gotten the invoice yet, so I'm not entirely sure.  Maybe I forgot to add in the port fees when I was calculating what we would save by waiting for the sale today.  

 

And the room that we released today?  It's definitely more money than when we booked.  

[DDemuth]

 

The 30% off offer that came out today tends to favor those with 3rd and 4th passengers in the same room as you.  BOGO 50% deals tend to favor those with 1-2 people in the room.

 

 

 

 

That would be consistent with our current reservation for a couple in a single stateroom.  Checked the price with the current sale and our original booking price made with a BOGO 50% sale is still slightly better.

[Sweety]

I have 8 cruises booked with RCCL and they all are cheaper than the current sales. I booked my cruises two years in advance with my TA. I can't wait until the deployment extends this March.

[Matt]

I have 8 cruises booked with RCCL and they all are cheaper than the current sales. I booked my cruises two years in advance with my TA. I can't wait until the deployment extends this March.

Definitely one of the best strategies for getting the lowest price on a cruise.

[jticarruthers]

I would say over the last 3-4 years I have been consistently booking as early as possible and have not seen a single sale in that time frame that has given me a price drop after booking. (Note: I don't include prices after final payment date)

[Sweety]

RCCL had a sale earlier this year: Buy one and get the second 60% off. That was an awesome sale. I refared four cruises and saved over $1500. My cruises are 9 days and longer.

[bcarney]

I would say over the last 3-4 years I have been consistently booking as early as possible and have not seen a single sale in that time frame that has given me a price drop after booking. (Note: I don't include prices after final payment date)

 

With the current 'Kids Sail Free' sale I finally had a cruise that saved me a significant amount over my initial booking - my 7 day on Rhapsody dropped $284.

 

My November cruise on Adventure is up $1700 over my initial booking so I didn't touch that one, lol.

[dejagatkins]

You only have about 60 days from when the booking is made to transfer to a TA.

 

Honestly, the ability to make changes to your reservation on your own is far outweighed by the service a good TA provides.  I love texting my TA to re-price something or change someone's name and then not spending time on hold with RC and doing something way more fun.

Can you explain something to this newbie traveler for me, please? You all say the TA is no charge, but RC must recoup their cost somehow. Do you really believe the best price for a cruise is thru the TA or that they are the same as booking it yourself, online? Something in me keeps telling me doing it myself online is the cheapest way. But I realize I must be wrong...

[monorailmedic]

Can you explain something to this newbie traveler for me, please? You all say the TA is no charge, but RC must recoup their cost somehow. Do you really believe the best price for a cruise is thru the TA or that they are the same as booking it yourself, online? Something in me keeps telling me doing it myself online is the cheapest way. But I realize I must be wrong...

 

RoyalCaribbean pays agents a commission based on the price of the voyage itself.  To cruise lines (and other tour operators), travel agents are often a money saver, as they pass on much of the marketing leg work, customer service tasks (think reservations call centers, etc) to the travel agents.  They do train agents, provide marketing tools to them, speak with them, etc, but it's basically delegation.  Further, they know as a giant company, they have to maintain somewhat broad appeal, where agents can target more specific demographics, if they want.  

 

Another way to picture this, is that when you work with your travel agent, asking questions about when formal nights might be, what the best ship is for your family's goals, etc - that is a conversation that Royal Caribbean would have to pay someone to have at one of their reservations centers, and frankly, those persons may not be as apt to answer, as they may not have sailed on the variety (if any) of cruises that the agent has.

 

For all these reasons and more, the pricing is the same.  In fact, there are many cases where booking through a travel agent can save you money.  Some of that is in simply helping guide you to make the best decisions for you, but there are groups that may offer lower prices through an agency (some that you may know you're part of, like RoyalCaribbeanBlog.com group cruises - others that are just agencies or travel groups committing to large blocks of staterooms), and an agent may help you get a lower price by repricing your sailing when new promotions come out, something cruise lines won't do themselves.

 

I certainly didn't cover all the details here, but I hope it helps clarify.  I'd add, finally, that to me, the service a good agent offers is enough that if I had to pay a small premium to use my agent, I probably would - but luckily none of us have to.  I book my trips via text message or short email, my agent has come to know my preferences, has all my info on hand, and is a great help overall, while offering me the same, or better pricing, than booking direct with a cruise line, hotel, car rental agency, etc.

[Matt]

Can you explain something to this newbie traveler for me, please? You all say the TA is no charge, but RC must recoup their cost somehow. Do you really believe the best price for a cruise is thru the TA or that they are the same as booking it yourself, online? Something in me keeps telling me doing it myself online is the cheapest way. But I realize I must be wrong...

That's a great question, because many that are new have that concern.  I wrote a blog post on the topic here: http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2016/06/15/why-first-time-cruisers-should-use-royal-caribbean-travel-agent

 

First and foremost, travel agents are paid by Royal Caribbean a commission based on how much you spend.  A TA's services (should) cost you nothing extra.  

 

The best reason to use a TA is for the level of a service a good TA will provide.  They should be well-versed in what RC offers and can help you pick out the best cruise vacation.  And they don't just work with you when you are booking, but throughout the process, including when you get on the ship.  Questions, adjustments and concerns arise all the time, and a good TA is there to help.

 

In terms of prices, a TA has the same prices at booking with RC directly.  In some cases, a TA may have better prices if they have access to group space onboard.  But rest assured, it should cost you nothing extra to use them. RC builds into their business commissions to whomeever books their cruises. The cruise line industry relies on this as a means of filling their ships, and they need TAs to keep their business going.  So again, it's RC that pays the TA, and not you.

[DocLC]

Remember, prices of cruises are not like the price of jeans. Cruise fare prices change all the time in accordance with how booked up (or unbooked up) a ship is. Like airfare, cruise fares rise and fall based on what is booked.

 

Oasis IV = Denim of the Seas?